Machine for duplicating keys



C. A. BERRY.

MACHINE FOR DUPLICATING KEYS. APPLICATION HLED AUG. 10. 1920.

Patented Feb. 28, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I- gwue'nfoz- C. A. BERRY. MACHINE FOR DUPLICATING KE'YS. APPLICATION FILED AU G.10, 1920.

Patented Feb. 28, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Suva Hot UNITED STATES CHARLES A. BERRY, OF STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR- TO THE YALE MANUFACTURING COMPANY,.OF STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT.

PATENT OFFICE. 3

& TOWNE uacnmn ron nurmoa'rmo KEYS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb. 28, 19 22.

Application fil'ed August 10, 1920. Serial No. 402,555.

To all whom it may concern:

1 Be it known that I, CHARLES A. BERRY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Stamford, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have, invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Duplicating Keys; and I do hereby demeans for automatically withdrawmg the location stop for the new key or blank prior to the operation of the cutters.

A further object is to rovide a machinedesigned for duplicating eys for pin tumbler looks, with attachments for cutting the notches or bits in lever tumbler keys.

With these and other objects in view my invention consists inthe parts and combinations of parts as will be more fully explained and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of a machine embodying my improvements; Figure 2 is a view in end elevation of same; Figure 3 is a plan view; Figure 4 is a View in end elevation partly in section showing the holder in position with the sample key and blank engaged respectively by the gauge and cutter; Figure 5 is a view of the means for locking the gauge holder in position; Figure 6 is a view of the machine provided with attachments. for cutting lever tumbler keys and Figure 7 is a view of the key gauge detached.

.10 represents the base of a cast metal frame adapted to be secured to a table or 1 other support and provided at one end-with an upward integral extension 11 provided at its top with a bearing 12 for the cutter shaft 13. This shaft is provided at one end with a pulley 14 having a handle 15 and at its other end with a circular cutter or file 15 for cutting the bittings in the new key, the said cutter being secured to the shaft by nut 16. The pulley 14 may be grooved as shown the handle 15*.

The frame 10 is a skeleton frame, that is to sayit is openat its front, rear and bottom and it is provided at its top 10 with the upright parallel flanges 17, between and to which the gauge holder 18 is pivotally secured at 19. This gauge holder 18 is provided at its front end with the downwardly projecting lip 20 and at its rear with the extension 21, the latter being recessed for the spring 22 which tends to force the upper end of the holder 18 forwardly, and also proi ided with a threaded hole for the adjusting or limit screw 23 the lower end of which bears on the top section 10 of frame 10 and limits the rearward movement of the upper end of the gauge holder the extent of which movement can be adjusted by the screw 23.

Mounted in the parallel flanges 17 below the, projecting lip 20, is the sliding cam pin 24:, the cam surface of which is adapted to be moved into contact with the cam face 25 on said lip 20 and force the upper end of the gauge holder 18, rearwardly and its extensiondownwardly until the screw 23 is in contact with the top member of the frame, thus locking the holder solidly in position for a urp'ose that will hereinafter be explained The outer free end of the holder is slotted to receive the gauge 26, which latter is reversible so that either end may be used and which is locked in place by the screw 27.

Located below the top 10 of the frame 10 is the fixed shaft 28, on which the key holder 29 is mounted to slide. This key holder comprises twoend members 30 loosely mounted on shaft 28, and front section 31 cast integral with the end members, and is bers of frame 10 so that it may have a sliding movement, as long at least as the lon est key to be cut. The front member of the ey holder is provided at each end with the key supporting blocks 32 each of which is provided on its front face with a recessed seat one of which is adapted to receive and solidly support asam le key and the other a key blank to be cut. ach block is provlded with a clamping member 33, which with the blocks constitute vises which support and solidly hold the key and blank n position.

i to receive a belt, or it may be actuated by The sample key vise is provided at its outer end with the stop 34 which engages the shoulder of the key so as to hold the latter in proper relation to the gauge 26. The vise for the blank is also provided with a stop pivotally secured to the vise section of the block and provided at its outer end with a lip to engage the key blank close to the shoulder on the latter and is provided with a rearward extension slotted as. shown to receive the stirrup 36 secured to the top section 10 of the frame 10. This stirrup is as long as the longest key to be cut so that the stop may slide thereon and be in engage ment therewith throughout the entire move.

ments of the key holder.

The two recessed seats andtheir vise sections are properly located with respect to the gauge 26 and the circular cutter 15, and the two stops 34: and 35 are also located to engage the keys at the shoulders thereof so as to properly present the sample key to the gauge andthe key blank to the cutter.

The front member 31 of the key holder is provided with a handle 37 adapted to be grasped for turning the holder to a position where the sample key will be engaged by the guage and the key blank by the cutter. The key and the blank are clamped on th blocks 32 by the vise sections 33, and when the key holder is turned upwardly the slotted end 'of the stop 35 engaging the stiril'pp 36 tilts the stop rearwardly as shown in 1 from the key and out of the path of the cutter, the function, of the two stops being to properly locate the sample key and the blank with relation to each other and with the gauge and cutter preparatory to clamping them by the vises. After they have been clamped the function of the stops ceases and heretofore it has been customary to throw the blank stop rearwardly by hand out of contact with the blank, which I dispense with by the automatic operation above described.

. With my improvement, the key blank stop is automatically moved out of the way of the cutter, as the key holder is moved toward the latter and is moved into position to receive the blank as the said holder is moved away from the cutter.

In the operation ofthe apparatus for duphcatmg pin tumbler lock keys, the key to e duplicated is secured within the v-ise under the gauge 26 and the blank to be cutis secured to the vise under the cutter. The holder is then raised by lifting on handle 37 until the point or; edge of the gauge rests ter 15 is rotated in contact with the blank, by the pulley 14 or handle 15' until it ceases to out; The key holder is then shifted to the left tobring the next hitting in the sample key into contact with the gauge, and the cutter gure 4 so as to carry the said stop awaytween the gauge 26 and the saw 15" ,to the bittin en a ed b 1n the end bit of the key, after which the cut g g g y again rotated and so on until all bittings in the blank correspond with the bittings in the sample key. After all i the bittings have been cut, the gauge holder is forced rearwardly againstits spring 22 until the rear extension is seated solidly on the top member 10 of the frame, after which the pin 24 is slid to the right as shown in Figure 5, thus forcing the cam surface of the pin a .ainst the cam face 25 ofthe lip 20 of hol er 18 and locking the holder 18 and consequently the gauge solidly in position. By now .rotating the cutter and moving the key holder endwise so as to cause the guage point or edge to move on or follow up and down the bits of the sample key, the blank with the bittings previously cut will be profile d to correspond with the bitted edge of the sample ke This profiling of new keys is desirable as t e angle of the bittings or notches vary in the keys of different manufacturers and these various angles can be obtained witha single cutter of fixed angle only by profiling or moving the edge of the sample key under the gauge soas to produce precisely the same outline on the duplicate key. It isalso of considerable advantage to have the gauge fixed solldly at the proper location during the profiling, as the action of the holder carrying the keys is more easily controlled by the removal of the spring pressure from the gauge holder. This spring action between the sample key and gauge is important however during the cutting of the bittings or notches as it enables the gauge to contact with the bottom of the bitting or notch so as to parts before the cutter begins its out. As the cut roceeds the gauge is forced rearwardly against the action of the spring until the full depth of the bittin has been out.

In Figures 6 and i I have shown an attachment for cutting lever tumbler keys which have flat and square notches or bittings. These comprise a saw 15 in lieu of a file and a special locating gauge attached to thekey holder. This gauge comprises a bracket 38 slotted to embrace the lug 39' and the thumb screw 39 secured to the front plate 31 of the key holder and clam d thereto by the said thumb screw 39, an a double stop 40 adjustably secured in the upper turned folded end of the plate 31 and clamped thereto by the set screw 41. The projecting ends 42 and 42 of the stop engage the free ends of the sample key and key blank, and are spaced exactly the same distance as the distance beso that a cut or bit on the blank will conform exactly the gauge.

ht changes It is evident that many slig .niight be resorted to in the relative arrangedescribed without ment of parts shown and departing fromthe spirit and scope of my inv ntion hence I would have it understood that I do notwish to confine myself to the properly locate the exact construction and arrangement of parts shownand described but,

aving full describedmy invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

bination of a frame, a rotating cutter, a

gauge pivoted to said frame, means tending to yieldingly force the gauge forwardly. toward the key and means for locking the gauge in fixed rearward position.

.3. In a key duplicating machine, the combination of a frame, a gauge pivoted to said frame and provided with an adjustable stop for limiting its rearward movement, a spring tending to force the gauge forwardly, means for locking said gauge against forward movement, a cutter and a movable carrier for the key and key blank.

4. In a key duplicating machine, the combination of a frame, a rotating cutter, a gauge holderpivoted to the frame, a spring foryieldingly forcing 'the said holder forwardly, means for looking it in fixed rearward position, and a ke holder pivoted to said frame and movable toward and away from the gauge holder and cutter.

5. In a key duplicating machine, the com- I bination of a frame, a cutter mounted to rotate in said frame, a key blank holder pivoted to the frame, a clamp for'locking the key blank to said holder, a stop for positioning the blank in said clamp and automatic means for removing the positioning stop from the blank as the latter moves toward the cutter.

6. In a key duplicating machine, the combinationof a frame, a rotating cutter, a solder pivoted to the frame and carrying a key blank clamp, a stop for ositioning the key blank in said clamp an means for removing the positioning stop from the blank as the latter is moved toward the cutter.

:7. In a key duplicating machine, the combination of a frame, a cutter, a holder pivoted and slidingly mounted on the frame and carrying a key blank clamp, a stop to engage the key blank for positloning it in the clamp and automatic means actuated by the movement of the pivoted holder toward the cutter for withdrawing, the stop from' the blank.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES A. BERRY. 

